Conventionally, a liquid crystal display device is known in which a touch panel s arranged on a front surface of a liquid crystal cell. By arranging a touch panel as an input sensor on a GUI (graphical user interface) screen which is displayed on a liquid crystal cell, it is possible to input data using fingers or a pen and the like.
A liquid crystal display device which is attached with a touch panel to a liquid cell increases in thickness and weight by the size of the touch panel. Thus, in recent years, liquid crystal display devices have been proposed in which a touch panel is incorporated within a display cell (Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. 2011-70092).
Among display devices which incorporate touch panels within a display cell, there are also types which are arranged with one electrode which forms a touch panel within a display cell and the electrode is arranged on the exterior of the display cell. In this case, since a cutting process of a display cell and process for bonding a polarizing plate are performed after the other electrode is formed. It is preferred that the other electrode is protected by a protective layer (overcoat layer).
However, when small glass shards (also referred to as cullets) produced during a cutting process of a display cell become attached to a protective layer, because the protective layer exhibits hydrophobicity, there is a problem whereby it is difficult for a cleaning liquid to enter at the interface between the glass shards and the protective layer and can not be easily removed by washing. In addition, there is a danger that the protective layer can become damaged when attempting to physically remove glass shards from the protective layer.